


Once Upon an Alien

by Samwritess



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Basically a clusterfuck, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Slow Burn, UST to RST, also an emily au, also its multi chapter, and I mean sloooooooooooow burn, this is basically an OUAT au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-06-29 23:39:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19840942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samwritess/pseuds/Samwritess
Summary: Fox Mulder had no idea that he even had a daughter before she showed up on his doorstep demanding that he come home with her and help save her town from the alien overlords experimenting on it. While he doesn't entirely believe her, he follows, only to meet her mother, Madam Mayor herself, Dana Scully. As Mulder manages to insert himself into the life of Emily, he starts to see more and more that the kid may be onto something. He just has to convince her mother in time to save his new found family.Essentially a Once Upon a Time au but take away the fairytales and add aliens.





	1. And So It Begins

Fox Mulder was not having the best of birthdays. He had somehow found himself in the back of a cab, with a bloody nose and what was starting to become a black eye. He was also now jobless. And alone. So, nothing really new on that front. When he had gotten the anonymous tip that a truck full of specimens was going to be moved from their housing facility to a lab downtown, he had jumped on the opportunity, finally considering this a breakthrough for the months of research he’d been doing. What he hadn’t expected was to find his boss, surrounded by mountains of guards and personnel, sitting right next to the very truck he was attempting to infiltrate. As he was getting his ass kicked into the next ally over, the words “you’re definitely fired” were the only thing he could hear. Mulder had spent 5 years building a reputation in the FBI, investigating the X-Files, and the minute he actually finds his proof, he is literally kicked to the curb. Some birthday.

His apartment seemed just a little emptier when he finally made it home. It's not his first birthday he’s spent alone. If it weren’t for his mother having to be present to bring him into this world, he probably would have spent his _birth_ day alone too. When Sam was around, it was better, because she would always bring him a cupcake she stole, and they would sing happy birthday around a lighter that he would blow out at the end of the song. He didn’t have a cupcake today, but he did have her lighter. He took it out of his pocket and watched as the light flicked on. It still worked perfectly, after all these years.

_If anyone is listening, I’d really like to not be entirely alone on my birthday._

He blew out the lighter, only to hear a faint knocking at the door. Cautiously, he got up to check the peephole. As he gazed out of it, the only thing he could see was the top of a head, fiery red hair, as another knock came.

“Who’s there?” he asked, probably louder than he should have. His hands were shaking. Of course this was a trick. A decoy. They had come back to find him, they were going to lure him out of his apartment with kids and then shoot him dead.

“Are you Fox Mulder?” Came a small voice from the other side of the door. A little girl. How ridiculously cruel.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Emily Scully. I’m your daughter.”

* * *

****

He opened the door in shock. _Daughter_. He didn’t have a daughter. Certainly not one who was around 10 years old, with red hair and hazel eyes that was standing outside of his door at this very second.

“Hi!” She said cheerily, waltzing into the apartment like she’d been living there her entire life. “You look older than your picture. How old are you? Do you have any juice?”

Mulder hadn’t left his spot at the door, but his mouth was open wide enough to catch a tennis ball sized fly. He only moved when he heard his refrigerator being open.

_This isn’t real. This isn’t happening to me._

But sure enough, when he rounded the corner there was a kid rummaging through his beer and pizza filled fridge. He stared at her for a second. The hair definitely wasn’t his. Eyes and nose, maybe. She certainly dressed nice, and with her name brand backpack, he assumed she was rich. When she spun around, a gold necklace confirmed his theory.

“Listen kid, I don’t know what gave you the idea, but you definitely are not my daughter. I don’t have any kids. None.”

“Actually, you do. My mom said I didn’t have a dad, but I found her papers and it said that you were her donor. You donated something right?”

Suddenly, Mulder remembered. When he was around twenty, he was basically living on the streets outside of his college. He donated sperm to the local bank because he needed the cash. Never in his entire life did he think that anything would come of it. He definitely never thought about the potential for him to actually have a kid out there. But now his hunger fueled decision had come right back to bite him in the ass.

“I… how did you find me?” This was too much. How had this even happened? What was going on?

“The internet” Emily shrugged. She had found some orange juice and was drinking it out of the carton. Maybe she really was his kid.

“Ok well I need to get you home.” At this, Emily froze.

“No! You can’t take me back home I don’t want to go back. I want to stay here with you.” She whined and pouted, crossing her arms over her tiny chest.

“You don’t even know me!” Mulder was arguing with a child. He had officially reached the lowest part of his life.

“But I trust you! You’re my dad!” she piped up.

“Kid, if I’ve learned anything, it’s to trust no one.” She backed down then, any remnants of the smile she wore when she first entered his apartment was gone. He softened. “Besides your real parents are probably worried about you”

“I told you, I don’t have parents, I just have my mom and she’s awful, she never believes me.”

“Well it’s not my problem kid. I’m taking you back home. Where are you from?”

Emily shut her lips, pretended to zip them and tossed the imaginary key behind her. Stubborn little…

“If you don’t tell me I’m going to call the police and they’ll take you home.”

Emily’s eyes widened, and her zipper magically disappeared.

“Please don’t call the cops. I’m from West Mills”

“Thank you” Mulder grabbed his keys from the counter and started throwing his shoes back on. “Get your stuff. I’m taking you home.”

* * *

****

Most of the car ride passed in silence, the kid pouting in the passenger seat. The sun went down, and the pair was plunged into darkness. Eventually she took out a photo album, which Mulder caught snippets of as they passed various street lights. Inside it, there were various pictures of what looked like the sky, as well as Wikipedia articles, newspaper clippings, and other various text blocks.

“Whatcha got there?” Mulder asked. If the kid really was his, he should at least try to get to know her. Not like he was going to be sticking around any longer.

“It’s my journal. Its where I keep all of my research.” Mulder chuckled and the kid seemed offended, snapping the book closed again.

“What are you researching?”

“Aliens”. Mulder almost hit the brakes, gasping and gaping. That was too much of a coincidence. He was being set up, this was some elaborate prank, it had to be.

“You’re researching … aliens?”

“Yes. And I know you do too. I read some of your papers. You should use less big words. But I got most of it. You’re very smart. That’s why you have to help me.”

“Help you with what?”

“My town. It’s controlled by the aliens. I have a theory that they’re using our town for experiments. Every month, someone new gets abducted, and if people try to leave, bad things happen to them. I tried telling mom, but she says I’m making it up. That’s why I had to find you. I knew you would believe me.” She’s gazing in his direction, eyes wide and hopeful.

Mulder couldn’t believe his ears. This kid claims first that she’s his daughter, and then wants his help solving the mysteries of her alien town. _Ok so she’s definitely my kid._ He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts, he almost blew past the sign that seemingly jumped out of nowhere. _West Mills, MD._ He swerved right, onto the road leading into town square. At the sight of home, Emily shut down again.

“Alright kid what house is yours” He looked over, only to see Emily with her lips pressed tight together, shaking her head.

“You know, I was a professional investigator. I think I can figure out which house is yours.”

He didn’t have to look far. As he drove down the block, he could see a large white house surrounded by a white picket fence, apple trees, and a front porch the size of his apartment. The house was accompanied by a police car pulled into the driveway next to what looked like a Rolls Royce. Jackpot.

He pulled up to the front gate and got out, opening the door for the kid as well. Emily slowly slumped out of the car, scowl still ever present, head hung low.

“Please don’t make me go back. You can stay here with me and help me. Mom doesn’t believe me and never will. I need to save my town and I can’t do it without you.” Mulder turned, and seeing tears brimming in her eyes, stooped down to face her. She was cute, he had to admit. He never liked kids, but this one seemed smart. Maybe he was beginning to like her.

_Too bad you’re getting the fuck out of here and are never going to see her again._

“Listen kid, I’m sure your mom will come around, she loves you, and-“ He was cut off by the front door opening, and two people running out, a man and a woman. The woman sprinted down the sidewalk.

“Emily?” she shouted. When she finally reached Mulder and the little girl, she reached down, nearly tackling the small child as she pulled her into her arms. “Oh my god Emily, where were you?” She pulled back, still holding Emily by the shoulders, until Emily pulled away.

“I found my dad. And he’s a million times better than you” She jumped back from her mom and sprinted into the house, past the other man. Mulder stared at the woman, who was frozen in her bent position, arms still partially outstretched, as if she was trying to grab the little girl that ran away from her. He decided he shouldn’t be here. 

He started to back up towards his car, when she finally seemed to notice his presence. She stood, and even though she was about a foot shorter than him, he could feel a sort of power emanating off her. It was intimidating to say the least. She stepped towards him, and in his headlights, he could see she sported the same head of fiery red hair as her daughter.

“So. You’re Fox” She looked him up and down, surveying him like a lion gazes at its prey. “I never thought I’d get the pleasure”

“It’s just Mulder, please. You are?” She took another look at him, and stepping closer, looked him dead in the eyes. He felt like she was looking into his soul.

“How did you get the black eye?” Mulder had honestly forgot about that, given the following events of the evening. He chuckled sheepishly.

“Um, long story”

“Why don’t you come inside and tell it. I have a fairly strong whiskey in the cellar. I think we could both use it.” With that she turned a heel and walked back inside her, well, mansion. Mulder could do nothing else but follow.

* * *

****

The house looked even bigger from the inside. The foyer was giant. As he gazed up the curved marble staircase, he could spot at least two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a walk-in closet. And he couldn’t even see all the way down the hall. He waited there as the woman ran down another set of stairs, presumably to the cellar. The man he had seen earlier walked down the stairs, gave him a nod, and then walked out the door. He was dressed in plainclothes but the firearm on his hip told Mulder the cop car outside belonged to him. As the front door shut, the woman came back up the stairs holding a bottle and two crystal glasses. She walked into the kitchen then, and he followed. The counter was the size of his bed, and he couldn’t help letting his gaze wander around the room as she opened the freezer. He felt her tapping his shoulder and so he turned. She was holding an ice pack.

“You’ll want this if you don’t want it to swell.” He must have hesitated to take it, because she followed it up with “Trust me. I’m a doctor.” Mulder graciously took the ice pack, laughing a bit to himself.

“So that’s why this house is so ridiculously large.” He half spoke half mumbled.

“Well yes, that and I’m the mayor” she smirked. Walking around to the other side of the counter and pouring him and herself a glass of whiskey. Again, he accepted the glass. In the light, he got to take a better look at her. While she was small, her hair and her piercing blue eyes gave her the presence of someone at least his height. She wore a tight dress with a blazer, probably her work attire from earlier that day. He noticed she wore the same necklace that Emily wore, a golden cross with a pearl in the center. He could tell she’d been crying by the way her eyeliner was smudged. He’d make a guess that on any other day it would be perfect.

_Fuck, she’s hot._

“I wanted to thank you again for bringing Emily back to me.” She looked back up on him, with the strangest expression on her face. She looked like she was smiling, but it was hiding something so broken deep within. It only made Mulder want to know her more.

“No problem Madame Mayor” He smiled, hoping to ease some of her fears.

“You certainly don’t need to call me that.”He noticed the air of diplomacy, and suddenly everything clicked. She spoke like a politician. Like every word that came out of her mouth was calculated. Even the little laugh she gave seemed forced. He hated politicians.

“Well you haven’t given me a name to call you.” He laughed. She didn’t

“Its Dana Scully, if you must know. But I doubt you’ll ever have to use it again after tonight” She was stiff. For some reason though, Mulder was drawn to her. Complexity always intrigued him.

“Come on, Dana, you don’t think we could be friends?” He tried joking again. Clearly that was not the right approach.

“Certainly not. I don’t think that would be good for Emily. She’s already confused with all of this; she doesn’t need you sticking around any longer than you have to.”

“Ok calm down. I’m sorry. I just thought-“ At this, Scully stood, rounding the corner of the counter to step next to him. _This woman definitely had no concern for personal space._

“If you’ve taking my invitation for a drink as an invitation back into Emily’s life you are sorely mistaken. You never have, and never will have any part in raising her. She is my daughter” She spat, edging closer with every word. Mulder drew back placing the glass back on the counter. For a second, neither of them moved, tension surrounding them before Scully drew back, and spoke.

“I think you should go Mr. Mulder. You should get back to whatever family you have, wherever you’re from, and leave mine alone.”

“Actually, _Madam_ _Mayor_ , I have no family. But I certainly don’t plan on being a part of yours. I’ll see myself out” Mulder stood, pushing the chair back from the counter with a large squeak. He doesn’t know why he pulled the orphan card, but this woman had got on his nerves. Clearly she was trying to keep up images, but wanted him the hell out of her house. So he obliged.

He walked out quickly, most likely shutting the door harder than he should have. He shouldn’t be pissed. She was right, Emily was her kid, and obviously he was intruding, but he just thought, maybe, he might have finally had a chance to have something. But here he was, driving away from his own daughter and her cold mother. _Whatever. She’s probably a great mom, you shouldn’t intrude._

He happened to glance over on his passenger seat and noticed Emily’s journal lying on it. _That kid was too smart for her own good._ He barely had a chance to look back towards the road, however, before a bright white light filled his car, blinding him. His entire car started vibrating, and he shielded his eyes trying to see what was in front of him. The brakes seized, hurtling him forward, and he hit his head on the steering wheel. He passed out before the light fades, leaving him in a ditch, directly next to the sign cheerily displaying the town name.

* * *

****

Mulder woke up in a jail cell. The drunk tank, to be exact, judging by the passed-out man sleeping in the cell next to him. His head was pounding as he tried to think what happened last night. There was Emily, obviously, and then Ms. Dana Scully herself, but then, he had nothing. All he could remember was that bright white light.

“Ah I see you’re awake” Mulder heard a man's voice, and rolled over to see the man from the night before sitting at a desk with his feet propped up. Around forty, bald head with glasses. Definitely a cop.

“Yup.” Mulder replied, trying to sit up but failing when his head started to throb.

“You’ve got one nasty concussion there. Might want to stay still for a while. I’ve called Dr. Scully to come take a look at you.”

_Ugh,_ Mulder though. _Not her again._

“I’m fine” he said, though he certainly didn’t feel it. Not two second later, he heard the clicking of heels on tile, and the cop pulling his feet from off his desk.

“What is he doing here?”

“He was in a car accident last night, trying to leave town. I figured you could take a look at him, seeing as you’re the resident doctor.”

“You’re kidding. First he barrels into my life and now he’s too clumsy to even find his way out?”

“I’m right here you know” Mulder summoned the strength to sit up, but that was immediately counteracted by a wave of nausea that overcame him, causing him to lurch himself forward to the bucket at the side of the cell and promptly vomit in it.

Scully rolled her eyes, casting a look at the sheriff before clicking her way over to Mulder’s cell. She took a key from the desk and opened the door, waiting for him to finish throwing up. When he did, Mulder sat back onto the bench, looking expectantly at the supposed doctor.

Scully only scanned him over for a second, and then turned to the sheriff. “He has a concussion.” She stated as she walked out of the cell.

“Well what the hell am I supposed to do?” Mulder asked, trying to keep a second wave of vomit in his stomach. The lights were so bright he was forced to squint.

Scully paused. She obviously knew he was in no state to drive. He would probably crash again just trying to get out of town. She sighed. “Skinner, book him a room at the motel. Make sure he gets there safely. '' She leaned into him and continued. “And please, only book him for a night. The symptoms should die down by tomorrow and I want him gone.” She glanced back at Mulder, probably reveling in how pathetic he looked, and quickly left, leaving Mulder to stare at the sheriff through his squint.

“Is she always like that?”

“Yes”

“Are you two…?”

“No. Definitely not.” The Sheriff hoisted Mulder up onto his shoulder, supporting him as they walked out of the cell.

* * *

****

Mulder soon found himself checked into the residential motel, with a square view, courtesy of the wonderful old lady at the desk named Mrs. Phillips, who insisted such a “nice young man” should get an upgrade. Mulder had promptly passed out on his new soft bed, deciding to try and sleep off the headache.

So, when he woke up to more pounding, he was vastly disappointed. Until he realized the pounding was coming from the door, not his head. Slowly he got up. No nausea, and his headache was much less painful, so that was a good sign. He got up, throwing on his pants from yesterday, opting to leave his blood and vomit covered dress shirt in the trash, and opened the door. Outside stood the one woman he most certainly did not want to see.

Scully paused, taking in the form of the half naked man in the door, before remembering what she came for.

“Is she in there with you?” Scully said, panic edging into her usually collected voice.

“What?” Mulder stepped back as Scully practically pushed her way into the bedroom, looking around every corner as she did.

“Emily, she’s missing again” Scully huffed, giving up on searching through Mulder’s completely empty bedroom. She turned to him, giving him a brief once over again. “You look better.”

“Thank you. She’s not with me though. Did you check her friend’s?”

“She doesn’t have any friends”

“What kind of ten-year-old doesn’t have friends?” Scully scowled at him then, turning to leave.

“Wait wait let me help. If she’s got any friends, we could tell through the computer.” Mulder reached out to grab her shoulder and Scully glared at him. She didn’t trust the stranger that just popped back into her life, especially one that threatened the already fragile relationship she had with her daughter. But that relationship doesn’t mean anything if she doesn’t even know where her daughter is.

“Fine. Come with me”

Tossing on a t shirt, he followed Scully out the door and into her car, as she sped towards the mansion.

* * *

****

Emily’s computer wasn’t difficult to get into. Her password was her birthday, December 12, according to her mother. Scully stood over him as he sat at a desk made for a ten year old, hacking into her computer. He checked her inbox first.

“Smart kid, she cleared it.”

“So what do we do?” Scully asked, leaning in closer. He could smell her perfume. _God for a woman so awful why does she have to smell so… good?_

“Lucky for you I have a little something I kept from my time at the FBI” Mulder pulled a flash drive from his pocket as Sully drew back. He inserted the device into the computer to let it load.

“You worked for the FBI?” She sounded shocked. Mulder smirked, spinning the desk chair to face her.

“Why don’t you give my name a google? I’m surprised you haven’t before.”

“I have. Except the last time I did you were a student at Oxford studying psychology.”

“Is that why you picked me?” He taunted, and Scully scowled back. She looked just like Emily when she did that. The download pinged, drawing their attention back to the computer. A bunch of emails popped up, but one in particular drew his attention. He opened it.

“Whosyourdaddy.com? '' Scully asked.

“I guess that’s how she found me. It cost money, does she have a card?”

“Of course not. She’s ten. I would hope you consider me a better mother than that”

“Wasn’t saying anything. Who’s Melissa?”

“What?”

“Melissa. That’s who the email is addressed to.”

Scully took off down the hall. Mulder was quick to follow, barely managing to hop in her car before she sped off down the road. She pulled into a school parking lot and started running into the school, completely bypassing all the security guards. Mulder tried to keep his head down as he followed close behind her. She only slowed when they reached the door to a classroom.

“Who’s Melissa?”

“She’s Emily’s teacher.” Scully says as she opens the door. Mulder immediately noticed a woman with red hair sitting at a desk labeled Miss Scully. “And my sister.”

“Dana?” Miss Scully’s head shot up as the pair walked in the door. “Why isn’t Emily with you?”

“We thought she would be with you, seeing as you are her teacher?” Dana responded coolly, although Mulder could see her eyes darting around the classroom.

“No I thought she was home sick with you? I got your email this morning…”

Scully huffed at her sister, clenching her fists. “Obviously you can’t tell the difference between a ten-year-old sending an email from her mother’s account and the real thing. Oh, and how did she get your credit card?”

“My what?” Melissa seemed shocked, quickly digging through a large patchwork bag on her desk, shoulders slumping when she withdrew her wallet, only to find it empty.

“Great.” Scully sighed. She tightly turned around and walked out of the classroom, leaving behind Mulder and a confused Melissa. She turned to him and gave him the once over that seemed to be a Scully family habit. Rising from her desk, she started to collect her things as she looked at him. Her hair was less red, more auburn, and she had softer, deep brown eyes. She wore clothing that you would expect for a college art teacher: black choker, orange floral shirt, and a maroon skirt.

“You must be Fox” she smiled at him, a warm smile. He was thinking she was the nicer of the Scully sisters. “I’m Melissa, but you can call me Missy. You’re Emily’s father, right?”

“Jeeze word sure travels fast around here.” Mulder said, extending a hand to the girl. Maybe he’d manage to make one friend in this town.

“Oh you know, small town and all. Any gossip is known pretty much immediately by everyone here. You’re the most new and exciting thing we’ve had happen since…” Melissa’s eyes cast off, as if she was trying to remember something that happened a while ago but couldn’t quite place it. “Well, let’s just say we don’t get a lot of strangers around here.”

“I could guess.” Mulder started to walk with her as she headed out of the classroom. “Are you close with Emily?”

“Oh yes, we used to be very close. I would stay at Dana’s house all the time, babysitting, playdates...”

“But that doesn’t happen anymore?”

Missy grew quiet, shying away as she spoke. “Dana and I don’t exactly agree on parenting practices lately. Emily is going through an interesting new phase and it’s been a little hard to deal with. Running away at night, stealing her mom’s camera and telescopes from the school...”

“Does that have anything to do with the whole alien thing?”

“Yes. Dana blames me for that too. I gave her a book thinking it would be a good read for her and ever since then she’s been obsessed.”

“Yea her and me both” Mulder mumbled under his breath. Melissa turned to him then, raising an eyebrow. Mulder shrugged it off.

“So tell me about yourself Fox”

“Mulder is fine, please.”

“Ok, Mulder. Got any family?” She asked as they passed through the front doors of the school.

“Nope.”

“A job?”

“Nope.”

“A girlfriend?” She asked, nudging his shoulder slightly. He stepped away then, turning to look at the car passing by instead. “I’ll take that as a no. Are you staying?”

“Staying where?” Mulder asked. Missy rolled her eyes and laughed.

“Here silly. Are you staying in West Mills?” She reached her car and started putting her bags inside.

“Um, I don’t think so. Your sister certainly wants me gone, and I don’t think making an enemy of the mayor of a whole town would really be to my advantage” He laughed as Melissa rounded the car, standing close to him. _Note to self: the Scully’s all apparently have no concept of a personal bubble._

“Don’t listen to Dana. I think you’d be good for them.” Missy then hopped into her car and shut the door, not before rolling down the window. “Oh, and if you’re trying to find Emily, try the playground by the lake” And with that she peeled out, leaving him with a little wave and a smirk as she pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

****

Emily was right where Missy said she would be, sitting in the domed roof of a playground set. Mulder walked over, taking a seat on the center part of the set. Emily didn’t seem to mind, even moving over a bit. Mulder reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out her journal. 

“I think you might have forgotten something in my car” he joked, handing the book back to the girl. Her eyes lit up and she snatched the book back, frantically flipping through it, probably checking that none of the pages were missing.

“You know I had a look at it on the walk over here. You’ve done your research” 

She beamed at him and started flipping the pages even faster. Finally she landed on one of the most recent pages. 

“I added this the day I found you” Her toothy grin strengthened as she handed him the book. In it was an article entitled ‘Signs of Abduction’ by Fox Mulder. He sighed as he looked over at the girl. “See, I realized you were the missing puzzle piece. With your research and mine combined we’re totally gonna solve this mystery.” 

“Kid, I don't even know if there’s a mystery to solve. I think I better just get out of here before i piss your mom off even more.”

“No. She’s a part of the conspiracy. Every night before the abduction happens mom goes into a meeting with a bunch of guys with suits. The next day, someone from town is missing.”

Mulder was intrigued. If this really was an alien coverup, it could be the biggest breakthrough of his career. It could give him all the answers he’s been searching for. But if it's the ramblings of a ten year old, he could have just gotten himself into a mess he shouldn’t have even been a part of.

“If all these people are going missing, how come no one says anything about it?” Emily smiled. For a kid, she sure was good at talking people into things. She must have got it from her mother. 

“See, that's the thing. Everyone in town just forgets who they are. The second they’re gone all memories of that person are erased forever.”

“But not you?” Mulder asks suspiciously.

“Nope. I’m special. I remember Barney Watson. And Danielle Hersch. Both of them got taken this year. And everyone just acts like it never happened. Ask anyone and you’ll see.”

Mulder looked at Emily. He never worked a lot with kids. The closest relationship he’d ever had with a little girl was with Sam, and he’d lost her as quickly as he found her. But he felt compelled to help this girl. The girl who said she was his. If she really was his daughter, he at least owed it to her to try.

“Ok. When is the next abduction supposed to happen?” Emily squealed and started flipping to a page in her journal with a full calendar, with certain days marked off in red.

“It’s supposed to happen tomorrow. I wouldn't worry about it being you because you’re new, and the aliens won’t know about you yet.” Emily continued babbling about various theories she had surrounding the abduction patterns. Mulder just listened in silence, seeing more and more of himself in the little girl’s eyes. 

After twenty minutes of discussion, Emily finally agreed to go back home, if only to confirm that her mother was indeed having another meeting that night. When Mulder pulled up into the driveway, Scully was standing at the door. They walked to the porch, and before Emily darted past her mother, she gave Mulder a small hug around the waist. Scully stared daggers at him. He could only attempt to apologize with his eyes.

“I thought you were leaving us Mr. Mulder.” Scully said, watching as her daughter ran up the stairs. 

“I have enough clothes to last me a week in my car. I think I’m gonna stick around for a bit” he retorted, attempting to gather himself into his most confident state. If he was going to stay, he wasn’t going to be intimidated by this woman any more. 

“I don’t think you got the message” she spat through gritted teeth. “I don't want you here. We were perfectly fine before you came and we will be perfectly fine after you leave. Now I don’t want to see your face on my property ever again.” 

Mulder stepped closer. He remained on the path while she stood on the step. They were face to face. 

“ I think something strange is going on here, and I plan to find out what.You don’t scare me Ms. Scully. You can’t intimidate me out of your town.”

“Watch. Me.” She hissed, before spinning on her louboutin heels and slamming the front door in his face. 

* * *

“Madam Mayor you’re late.”

Scully slid calmly into a chair at the end of the table. The room was dark and quiet, a small haze of cigarette smoke kept her from fully seeing the other end of the long table. She folded her hands in front of her, gazing into the faces surrounding her. 

“My apologies. I had a few items of business I needed to attend to.”

There was grumbling amongst the table but eventually all was quiet again. 

“Shall we commence the selection?” stated a voice from the other end of the table. Murmurs of agreement were heard, and Scully watched as a large hat was placed in front of her. She reached in with a wince, swirling the papers around, eventually drawing a slip of clean white paper. 

“Annabelle Phillips, 72” she read, sighing as she recognized the name on the paper. 

“It is done.” said the voice at the end of the table masked in smoke. “Meeting adjourned”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mulder makes some friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I'm so very sorry I hate myself as much as you hate me please accept part two with a promise that part three is on the way bc its Fictober so I've given myself a kind and gentle kick in the ass to actually write this fic as well as some other short ones ok thank you bye!
> 
> Enjoy!

_ Mulder lay on the dusty floor, wrapped in the blanket he took from his own bed. He woke, and sitting up he gazed over into the small bed next to him. He could see her inside of it, sleeping peacefully. He stood. He knows what happens next.  _

_ “Sam! Sam wake up we have to get you out of here! Sam please!” He was begging her, leaning over her and shaking her but the girl didn’t move. Instead, Mulder felt his body freeze, arms grow heavy, as he was pushed back into the corner of the room. He tried screaming but no sound came out of his mouth. He watched as a bright white light filled the room, almost blinding him. In the light, he could see them lifting her body out of her bed, still limp, and bring it out the window. He could only hear her screaming in terror, calling out his name into the bright light. _

Mulder woke with a shock. He shielded his eyes from the morning light cascading into his room. 

_ Where the hell was he? _

He was in a bed, in a very nice motel room, with… birds chirping outside? The memories came flooding back. 

_ Emily. _

He hopped out of bed, checking himself in the mirror before throwing on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. His head was significantly better, and the black eye was almost gone. But what he really needed was some coffee. He headed down the stairs, but a strange site stopped him short on the last step. Sitting at the front desk was not the friendly old lady that had checked him in yesterday, but a young man instead. 

Clearing his throat he asked “Is Mrs. Philips in?” 

The young man looked up at him curiously. “Mrs. Philips? I’m afraid I really have no idea who you’re talking about. I’m the only one that works here” He gestured to a side office that Mulder could see was completely empty. Mulder must have looked shocked because the man continued. “I checked you in yesterday, sir. Mr. Mulder, correct?” Mulder finally snapped out of his trance. 

_ God, what the kid’s saying sounds truer and truer every day.  _

“Yea um, sorry” Mulder mumbled something about a concussion and continued on. “Where can a guy get a coffee around here?” 

“Oh right next door at Granny’s Diner” 

Mulder gave the man a small wave, and headed out the door. Right to his left was the diner, a cozy 50’s style place that probably had not been renovated since then either. Mulder walked in, and with the ding of the bell all eyes in the diner were on him. He felt the urge to check whether or not his hair was on fire, because their gaze was unrelenting.

He walked in, cautiously gazing back at all the people looking at him, until he felt a hand reach up and pull him into a booth. As soon as he was out of the line of site, The diner resumed its buzz, patrons chatting away in their booths. He looked to see who had pulled him in. 

“Thanks Missy” Mulder sighed. But Melissa didn't look too enthused. In fact, she had the Scully scowl.

“You did  _ not _ tell me you were part of the FBI!” Missy whined at him, leaning over the table and lightly punching him in the shoulder. “You had me thinking you were some loner from Missouri but I read the paper and find out with everyone else how actually cool you are.”

“Wait wha-” 

Melissa half heartedly tosses a newspaper at him from her side of the booth, letting out a frustrated sigh. Mulder saw his picture, black eyed and concussed, probably taken after the accident, splashed over the front page with the headline, ‘EX-FBI AGENT DESTROYS TOWN ENTRANCE’. Quickly scanning the article, he found every detail of his life plastered into a two page article. They made special emphasis on the “ex” part of FBI agent. 

“So no wonder Emily fawns all over you! You’re like… an alien god!” Missy continued. “Have you ever killed anyone?” 

“Missy.” 

“Why did you leave? It says you were fired and your records were wiped right before you got here.” She leaned forward, eyes wide and questioning. 

“I left because I trusted the wrong people.” Mulder said with a sigh. Missy mouthed a ‘woah’ before leaning back in her booth. It looked like she was about to open another line of questioning before the were interrupted by her miniature. 

“Thank goodness you’re here,” said Emily, “we have work to do.'' Emily slides in the booth next to Mulder, and he slid over to give her some room. Melissa smirked at him. 

“Whatcha working on?” Melissa asked, leaning in as Emily put her journal on the table with a smack. 

“This is classified business.” Emily said with a frown and Mulder could see her deciding whether Melissa had high enough clearance. Apparently, she did not. “You're going to have to leave. Sorry Aunt Missy.”

Melissa put her hands up in mock defeat, and slid out of her booth. Mulder watched her head to the bar and strike up a conversation with the man behind the counter. He wouldn’t have been bothered if it weren't for the man’s eyes continually flicking back to Mulder with an almost angry glare. Emily tugged at his sleeve to get his attention back. 

“So have you found who got abducted last night?” Emily asked him earnestly. “I've been looking around town but I haven't found anyone missing yet. I think it’s an adult his time.” 

“Wait, kids have gone missing too?” Mulder was shocked. Surely kids would be too much. He knows the government, he knows there's not many lines they wouldn't cross. But kids? Ignoring the complete lack of morals it would require to sacrifice kids, they would be much more noticed. Families, friends, teachers. Kids have more of a social life than Mulder would ever have. But then, Mulder thought back to Sam. 

“Yea. Doesn’t happen a lot but Lizzy B. definitely had an older brother. He was in her family picture that she drew in class. But now she has an older sister.” Emily flipped to a new page in her journal and wrote the date, and added the bullet point for ‘Abducted:’. “So did you notice anything?” 

Mulder remembered the man this morning at the motel. How the nice lady he spoke to the day before seemingly never existed. It gave him the creeps. 

“Yes. Uh, Mrs. Philips I think.” Emily beamed, and frantically scribbled down the name in the journal. “She worked at the motel. She was replaced by a guy.” 

“Ok. That’s good, usually it takes me a couple of days to figure out who was taken. Thanks Dad” 

The way Emily said it so casually made him wince. 

“Um, maybe just call me Mulder for now Em.” She looked up at him, questioning. Of course she didn't understand. Hell, he couldn’t explain how he wasn’t any sort of father to her. Inappropriate wouldn't even begin to describe it. Her face was falling before it brightened again. 

"I know! You need a code name!” She squeaked. He chuckled and relented.

"How about this? You can call me my super secret first name. Its pretty silly. Bet you can't guess?" Emily laughed, delighted by the challenge, and probably the fact that Mulder was playing her game.

"Um, Maurice?" She said wth a giggle. Mulder faked shock, scoffing and putting his hand over his heart.

"Do I really look like a Maurice to you?" Emily laughed even harder, drawing the attention of some bar goers.

"Maybe... Billy-Bob?" Emily screeched, laughing at her own joke as Mulder chuckled along with her. 

"I'll give you a hint kid. It's an animal about the color of your hair" He reached forward and tugged a lock, and Emily's face scrunched up in thought. 

"A fox!" She finally yelled, and Mulder's smile told her she'd gotten it on the nose. She laughed again, and Mulder started to think that he quite enjoyed making her laugh. 

"That's a pretty cool name. I like it, no one will ever know its you" She beamed, flipping open her book and writing ' Dad=Fox” on the front page.

“What’s your code name huh?” He nudged her shoulder. 

“I’m Star” she said proudly, pointing to some smudged ink above what she had just written. Mulder couldn’t help but feel a little proud of her. It was like, even though he’d had no part in her life, a little bit of him had crept it’s way into her anyway. Her face became serious again however, and she rapidly shut the journal.

“I’ve been thinking about it, and I think I know what we need to do next. If we want to crack this case wide open, we have to get some inside information. We need to get into my mom’s office.”

Mulder chuckled, thinking back to his many days of breaking and entering in some bureaucrats office to get crucial evidence that he knew would help solve all of his mysteries. He was about as smart as a ten year old. 

“Yeah and then what? Get charged with breaking and entering and have your mom even more mad at me?”

“She won’t get mad if she doesn’t know?” 

“And you think you could pull that off?”

“I could with your help!” Emily pouted again. Mulder frowned.

“Em you have school, and I’m not letting you get a criminal record at age 10.” 

Before the words could get out of his mouth, Emily grabbed her journal and hopped out of the booth. 

“I thought you were gonna help me” She yelled as she stomped out of the diner. All eyes were back on Mulder. This time though, Mulder didn’t much care. 

_And this is why you'll never be that kids father. Anyone can make a kid laugh. Telling a kid why they can't break in to their own mother's office is a trial of parenting you're not quite ready for._

He got up, walked over to Melissa, who was giving him quite the sympathetic look, and sat at the bar. The bartender walked over with two hot coffees in hand and handed them to Melissa with an attempt at a charming smile on his face. 

“Thanks Red” Missy said, giving the guy a tip before passing the second cup to Mulder. The guy looked frowned, mostly in Mulder's direction, and stalked away to attend to other customers, but not before giving Mulder a jarring glare. Mulder. however, seemed distracted by the opportunity for caffeine, and thanked Missy. Taking a sip of the coffee, he was pleasantly surprised to find it perfectly brewed. 

“They didn't have my coffee order printed in that newspaper too did they?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She smiled at him over the rim of her cup.

“I’m pretty good at guessing this sort of thing. Dana used to say I was psychic”.

It hurt Mulder the way she talked about her sister, like she wasn't there anymore. Silence settled over the pair, nothing to listen to but coffee sips and the sounds of customers chatting at tables. Mulder couldn’t help but break it.

“So your sister wasn't always like… how she is” 

Missy laughed into her coffee. “No, she used to be a lot like me I guess. She was always smart, the golden child, but she was less restrained. Ever since she became mayor she changed. She became a politician” She paused to shudder at the words like she had just said the name of some particularly horrific disease. “I thought that when she had Emily I would get the sister I used to have back, and I did for a bit, but she was too far gone. Now it's all ‘Madam Mayor’ and no more Dana Scully. I can't even tell if she honestly prefers herself like this.” Melissa gazed sadly into her reflection in the mirror across the counter while she spoke. When she finished, she hung her head and studied the patterns her cream made in her coffee. 

“I’m sure she’ll come around” Mulder attempted to comfort, but it was only met by a pathetic laugh. “Listen, you said you can make good guesses. But I’ve had ten years of profiling experience and I think I'm pretty good at hypothesizing” Mulder reached over and grabbed Missy’s hand. “If there’s anyone that can change her back it’s you. You should talk to her. I think the Dana you know is still there” He saw tears in Missy’s eyes as she nodded slowly. 

Mulder barely knew this family, if he was being honest, and most of what he’d said had probably been lip service, but something about it felt real. His general opinion of Madam Mayor told him that she could never be changed. But the feeling he had when Melissa spoke made him have hope for her. 

“You know, I said you’d be good for this family,” Melissa said, taking her hand away to wipe a stray tear from her cheek. “I’d say that was a pretty good guess.” She smiled as she got up, walking out of the diner as Mulder’s eyes followed her. He didn't notice that someone had sat down in her seat until the bell finished dinging to signal her exit.

“You think because you're some hot shot FBI agent that you can just come into town and get any girl you damn please?” 

Mulder didn't even have time to question the voice before he turned and was met with a fist to his face, sucker punching him in the nose. He went blind with pain for a second before he registered what had happened and reacted out of instinct. He grabbed the guy by the shoulders and shoved him to the ground, shoving his knee into the wedge between his shoulder blades and grabbing his hands, pinning them behind his back. He was about to reach for handcuffs before he remembered he had surrendered those on his bosses desk a few days prior. 

Mulder felt a strong hands grab his shoulders and pull him backwards. His vision was fuzzy and he stumbled back, noticing the blood streaming down from his nose. Fumbling with his shirt trying to stop the bleeding, he watched the sheriff, who had been the one to pull Mulder off his attacker, take Mulder’s place behind the guy, but he actually pulled cuffs from his waistband. As the sheriff cuffed the guy, Mulder recognized him as the kid from behind the bar, the one Missy called Red. Skinner pulled him off the ground and pushed him in the back towards the exit. Red gave Mulder a seething look as he stumbled forward.

“Get the fuck out of my town” Red spat as Skinner pushed him towards the door, right as Mulder heard the bell ring. He thought maybe Missy had come back, but the redhead walking through the door was wearing a power suit, so his relief quickly turned to disappointment. 

“What do we have here Sheriff?” Scully asked, looking confused as Mulder tried to clean himself up as best as possible. When Scully noticed him she raised an eyebrow and walked over to Skinner, who was still holding a pissed looking Red. 

“Nothing too serious Madam Mayor. Looks like this one here,” Skinner shook Red by the shoulders and he rolled his eyes in return, “decided that our visitor was getting a little too close to his girl” He then gestured at Mulder, who tried to offer a smile, even though opening his mouth meant he tasted blood. Scully seemed unimpressed. 

“Getting in fights Mr. Mulder? I would say I’m surprised, but you seem to have a tendency for the disruptive.” She took a step back from Skinner, who seemed to be waiting for an order, and headed towards Mulder. He couldn’t help but feel embarrassed when she looked at him. “Sheriff I think I can take care of this one while you handle the boy” She gestured at Red who rolled his eyes yet again. Skinner nodded and proceeded to walk out the door with the kid in tow. 

“Come with me” Scully said, and Mulder reluctantly followed her out of the diner. 

* * *

“I’m not always like this you know” 

“Bloody?” Scully retorted sharply, her eyebrow quirking up. He laughed and then winced as he felt a flash of pain in his nose. 

“Yeah, bloody. It just seems like every time I see you I’m either concussed or bleeding.” He, for some reason, felt the need to defend himself to her, although he couldn't understand why. She had reluctantly dragged him into her house after the Sheriff insisted he needed to remain in temporary custody while he processed Red. Scully was a lot stronger than she looked, and as she escorted him to the car Mulder felt her place him in an all too familiar hand lock. Now here he was sitting at Scully’s kitchen counter again, holding ice to his nose instead of his eye this time. 

Scully walked over to him, looking expectantly at his nose. He moved his hand and allowed her to examine it. She tutted her tongue, but seemed satisfied. 

“It's not broken. Probably a hairline fracture at most. It won't need a splint but you’ll have to be gentle with it for a few days.”

Good news, Mulder supposed. He’d had a broken nose before and the pain in the ass that was the splint was definitely worse than the physical pain.

“I don't know what I’d do without you doc” Mulder jokes, hopping off of his stool to follow her back to the front of her house. As he walked, he happened to glance down a hallway and saw a door cracked open, with the plaque ‘Dr. Dana Scully, MD’ hanging from the front. It looked like an office with clean white walls and a bench in the hallway next to it. 

“Hey how come you never take me there?” Mulder asked Scully, as he ducked down the hallway for a closer look. Scully realized where he had turned and stood at the end of the hall with her arms crossed, watching Mulder poke his head into the office. He was like a dog. An inquisitive, incorrigible dog. She strolled down the hall to pull the door shut as he peeked over her shoulder for one last glance.

“Mr. Mulder, the office is reserved for my more permanent patients” She said, leaning her back on the door after she had closed it, effectively putting herself between him and the room in question. He pouted. 

“I would think at the rate I’m going you’d be collecting my insurance right now”

“”Yes and then I’d give you the punch card”

“Free stitches after ten visits with more than an ounce of bodily fluids lost?” He was impishly grinning at her, testing her. He moved closer, as if the hallway was pressing them together, silence heavy in the air. She never broke eye contact.

“I don’t like you, Mr. Mulder” Scully stood her ground. “No amount of jokes, or charm, or witty remarks are going to make me like you any more. You are not good for my daughter, you are not her father, and you most certainly are not going to be a permanent resident here.”

“So you think I’m charming?” 

They were interrupted by the sound of glass shattering coming from the room down at the end of the hall. Mulder reached down and grabbed his sidearm, and was utterly shocked to watch as Scully pulled a small pistol from her waist band as well. He didn’t have time to contemplate before they both took off to the end of the hallway, stopping briefly before Scully threw open the door and the two entered in tandem, guns drawn. They trained onto the moving person in the room, before Mulder heard Scully gasp and drop her aim, shoving the firearm back into her pants before running towards the intruder. 

Mulder too lowered his gun when he realized that the intruder was in fact Emily, and the glass that had been shattered was a large decorative vase. Amongst the shrapnel on the floor was Scully’s laptop that had been pulled from the desk. Instantly Mulder knew what had happened. Scully’s main concern was checking her daughter for cuts and scrapes, as she sat amongst the shards of glass on the floor. 

“Em what happened?” 

“I don’t know”

“Emily why were you in my office? And why were you taking my computer?” Emily simply looked down upset. 

“I just wanted it for our investigation” Scully was shocked.

“What investigation?” 

Mulder decided now would be the best time to leave, before the kid snitched on him then and there. He had taken a few steps backwards before Emily said “The alien investigation I’m doing with Dad.”

_ Fuck. Busted. _

Scully whipped around on him in a split second. 

“Out.” She stated, so coldly Mulder thought he was actually frozen for a moment. “Get out of my house” 

He scrambled out of the house so quickly he’s surprised he didn't bust his ass again. He didn't stop jogging until he reached the motel. 

* * *

Mulder had run out of things to do and it was only 9pm. He had spent the last few hours cleaning the bloodstains out of his shirt, pulling the remaining clothes he had in his car out and arranging them in his room. Practically living out of his car despite his fully furnished apartment paid off when he pulled a dry cleaned suit and a spare pair of jeans out of his backseat, as well as a fair selection of wife beaters and gym shorts. All of that had taken about 15 minutes. He then ran to the drug store on the corner of the street to buy all the bathroom essentials he had left in his apartment. He was starting to smell like he lifted his shirt from a dumpster. The trip went smoothly despite the dirty looks he received from the old man behind the counter, who had clearly read the morning paper. Now Mulder sat in his room, staring at the wallpaper, which was decorated with blue birds having a tea party. 

Charming.

He flopped back onto his bed with a huff of boredom, thinking about the events of the day. His nosed flared at the memory of that jackass kid socking him in the face. 

_ I wasn’t even flirting for Pete’s sake.  _

He thought about that a little more. Missy was cute sure, certainly friendly enough. He could see himself going on a date with her, but she seemed like the kind of girl to make judgements based off of where the moon was positioned that day.

_ And you don’t seem like the kind of guy that would be into that, Spooky? _

No. Missy was an excellent friend but she seemed a little off limits right now, especially when taking into account her sister. 

_ Now she is definitely not your type. _

The other Scully was bossy, condescending and skeptical. She was all hard lines and black and white. Mulder found himself too often in grey areas. But he found himself drawn to her. 

_ She’s hot. _

That's obvious. She hid it under the business dresses and pant suits but anyone with eyes would be attracted to her. 

_ Too bad she hates your guts. _

Yea well, there wasn’t much he could do about that. And besides, he didn't like her either. She reminded him of all the other suits who shoved him down into the basement, the ones who sent him out on goose chases to see how far they could push him. The ones who got him fired. 

A thought came to him, and he quickly pulled his laptop onto his bed. 

_ Hell, if she can google me there’s nothing stopping me from googling her. _

He started simple, just typing ‘Dana Scully’ into the search bar. Her name popped up towards the top, and he read how she was a top graduate from U Maryland in physics, then went to Stanford for med school. 

_ Shit she’s brilliant, too. _

He combed through her repertoire, even going as far as to read her senior thesis. She fucking rewrote Einstein. He read the whole thing, fascinated by her ability to analyze, to elaborate on scientific theory, to make sense of such complicated entities. How the fuck did she end up the mayor of a deadbeat town. He searched again for Dana Scully, MD. The only things that appeared where the same things that did before. Nothing about her post graduate work, no residencies, no papers or studies written. Nothing past the day of her medical school graduation. It was as if she was wiped off the map. He scrolled, finding much more about Diana Sully who won her 6th grade spelling bee, and other variations on her far too popular name. It was only when he reached the forbidden 10th page of google that he found something. It didn't seem like anything different when he clicked on it, just another newspaper article listing the names of her graduating class. But reading it he couldn't believe his eyes.

_ ‘Graduates of this years class will go on to do incredible things, with a few graduates, pictured right, even continuing on to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where they will begin special training in the fall.’ _

Looking to the right, Mulder found a picture of some smiling college students. Glancing closer he saw a familiar smiling redhead in the photo, and sure enough, the name ‘D. Scully’ was listed under the picture. 

_ Son of a bitch.  _

Mulder had a feeling the second he arrived something was off here. The kid just built upon his senses with her alien theory but this… this was a whole new level. If the government was here, it means that they could have a serious hand in perpetrating, or covering up, what was happening. And if Scully was one of them, it means she has to know. Maybe she knows everything and she knows he would find out and that's why she wants him out of town so badly. Maybe this is the closest he’s ever come to the truth.

He glanced at the nightstand clock. 

10 pm.

Maybe he needed a drink.

* * *

Mulder found himself strolling back into the diner next to the motel. He was surprised he couldn't see the blood on the floor from this morning, but it looked like the bar patrons had tried to wipe it up with beer. While the diner seemed quaint and charming in the morning, with low lights and noisy crowds it looked like every dive bar Mulder had ever been in. Mulder took an empty barstool and the bartender walked over.

“What can I get you tonight stranger?” 

Mulder looked up at a blonde blue eyed girl leaning over the counter, clearly a move she had practiced before as her cleavage was on prominent display. 

“Um, a whiskey.” He said, trying to focus on only her eyes. 

“Make that two please” He heard a man’s voice next to him. The bartender looked displeased. Mulder glanced over to see three men hovering around one stool, the oldest one sitting on the stool giving him a pleading look. Mulder looked back at the bartender and shrugged, and she sauntered back off with a grimace. 

“We’ve been sitting here for thirty minutes and haven't gotten any service, and then you come in and she waltzes right up to you…” the blonde one begins muttering to himself. 

“It must be the FBI charm” said the one with the beard. 

“Yeah women love a suit” 

“Ex-suit…” Mulder jumped back in. “Do I at least get to know who I’m buying drinks for” 

“Oh um allow us to introduce ourselves” The bearded one stood up to his full height, and straightened his tie. “We are the Lone Gunmen. I am John Fitzgerald Byers, this is Melvin Frohike” he gestured to the man in the chair who tipped his hat “and this is Richard Langley”

“Ringo” The blonde one suck out his hand which Mulder shook with a laugh. 

“I am -” 

“Fox William Mulder, age 31, Oxford graduate and ex-FBI agent with the X-Files division” Frohike stated, and Mulder couldn't help but laugh. 

“So I suppose you’ve read the paper” 

“Read the paper?” Langley laughed. “We wrote the paper!” 

The bar girl chose that moment to arrive back with Mulder’s drinks, interrupting the shocked silence.

“Are these guys bothering you?” The woman asked Mulder with a smile and a side eye at the three guys, who smiled sheepishly at him.

“Not at all, mam” Mulder sighed and passed her a twenty. The woman, seemingly satisfied with the hefty tip, took it and ran. 

“So tell me. How do three guys from the middle of nowhere hack into a secure FBI database and uncover records on an agent whose existence in the Bureau was virtually wiped?”

At this Byers straightened up, excited. 

“You see Mulder, we are not just three guys...”

“We are three highly trained, variously skilled…”

“Mildly dramatic…”

“Conspiracy theory experts.” They spoke in tandem, competing each other's sentences like they were passing a baton. Mulder was impressed. Byers spoke again.

“When Madame Mayor told us that you were in town, well, we couldn’t resist…”

“Scully told you I was here?” Mulder couldn't believe it. She sold him out to the press. Probably trying to scare him off. Maybe she wasn’t just scared that the father of her child had come back. 

“Oh yea. And she was real insistent that we look into you. Of course she didn't have to say much to make Frohike scramble to the computer and start typing.”

Frohike looked away sheepishly. Langly leaned in and whispered “He's got the hots for her”.

Mulder nodded. “And three highly skilled conspiracy theory experts just happen to live in the middle of nowhere working on the daily tribune?”

“We’re researching” At this Mulder leaned forward, raising an eyebrow.

“Researching what?” The three men shifted uncomfortably. They turned away from Mulder into a huddle, and when they turned back they seemed to have reached an agreement. 

“Follow us.” 

The whiskeys remained untouched on the counter. 

* * *

He could only describe the Lone Gunmen’s apartment as a fortress. There were three locks on the door, one of which was a finger scan. Even after that he could spot three or four anti-malware engines hooked to each computer. It was dingy and dark, but it made Mulder feel like he was back in his office. It was the most comfortable he's been since he’s arrived at West Mills. The gunmen picked through the messy apartment like every empty pizza box had its place. Langly pushed aside a stack of foreign newspapers and opened a laptop. Mulder noticed the webcam taped over with a sticker that said ‘They’re Always Watching’.

“We came to West Mills 10 years ago, after Frohike got an alert for some suspicious government activity.”

“The town didn’t exist the day before, and then the next day there are 10 apartments to rent, job postings for everyone from innkeeper to mailman, and one of my informants said they saw 4 FBI vehicles enter and exit the town.” While the Frohike and Byers spoke in tandem, Langly was rapidly typing series after series of codes into the laptop.

“Of course, the town filled with people, and we came quick, sneaking into this apartment under the names Shelly and David Coppers” Byers explained. “We pretended to be the movers, and after setting up the place with our equipment, we trashed the van, locked the doors and never left. That's where it got real interesting.” 

“You see, day after we moved in, the mayor and two beefcakes in suits came knocking on our door. Obviously we didn’t answer”

“Frohike would have” Langly chimed in from the computer desk, causing Mulder to smirk and Frohike to blush. 

“But then Madame Mayor said she knew why we were here. And that she could help us if we helped her. Never one to turn down an opportunity, we agreed. She came in and asked if we could help her control the area, so to speak. She wanted a grid around the town to separate them from the outside world. Dates and times would be altered so the townspeople don’ t know how long they’ve been here. Any computers from inside town would only get filtered, local news, nothing about major holidays, or elections, or anything. It was like we were putting people inside of a simulation…”

Mulder couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Everything made sense. This is why he was here. Emily brought him here to solve the greatest mystery of his life.

“What did she give you?” 

Byers laughed, and Frohike flushed a deeper red. “Tell him Frohike.”

Frohike shook his head and mumbled “nothing”.

“Nothing?”

“That’s right, nothing. We got played” Langly grumbled, obviously frustrated. “We did all the work for her, set the grid up and everything, and the day it's done, the only thing we get it a file folder with three slips of paper.” Langly reached up to a stack of manilla envelopes and counted 7 down from the top, pulling that one out and opening it. Inside were 3 slips of paper, each one reading the Gunmen’s names. There was writing on the inside of the folder in slanted handwriting he assumed was Scully’s. One word, scrawled hastily across the top left corner.

_ Immunity _

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you enjoyed! There will be much more of this story coming and I am still in the process of writing it so any suggestions are absolutely welcome. Also apologies for my extra long hiatus, I just got a job and have been crazy busy but I'm finally finding time to write again (yay!!!) so expect a bunch more in the future.  
> Lots of Love!  
> -Sam


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